HEBERT CAPTURES WORLD JUNIOR CURLING TITLE, JOHNSON FINISHES FOURTH IN STRONG SHOWING
Photo by: World Curling
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, March 3, 2026] — Team USA delivered a historic performance at the 2026 World Junior Curling Championships, highlighted by Team Hebert (Caden Hebert, Jackson Bestland, Benji Paral, Jack Wendtland, Daniel Laufer) capturing the gold medal and earning the title of 2026 World Junior Men’s Champions, while Team Johnson (Allory Johnson, Gianna Johnson, Morgan Zacher, Bailey Vaydich, Ella Wendling) finished just off the podium in women’s play but had an impressive run against a first-rate field.
Hebert and his teammates, based out of the Eau Claire Curling Club, navigated round-robin play with just one loss, advancing to the semi-finals to face traditionally strong Canada. A 7-6 victory in that game sent them to the final, where they faced defending champion Italy. The Americans got out to an early 6-3 lead, and controlled the game on their way to an 8-6 victory.
“The players on Team Hebert committed to the sport and to each other,” said USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell. “They have steadily improved each season and have been well-coached throughout their careers by Olympian Mike Peplinski. They earned this title by putting in hours and hours of hard work.”
Photo by: World Curling
For the United States, this is the fourth world junior men’s title, and the first since Olympian Chris Plys led his team to victory in 2008. In addition to winning the 2026 championship, skip Caden Hebert, after a vote by all competitors, also won the World Curling Junior Sportsmanship Award. This honor goes to the player who best exemplifies the values of skill, honesty, fair play, sportsmanship and friendship.
Benji Paral, second on Team Hebert, said, “We are so thankful for the opportunity to represent our country with the support of our amazing coaches, friends, and family. Winning a world championship was always the goal, but the process to get there has been incredible. We’re so proud of the great showings by USA Curling at recent international events, including the great run by Team Johnson here at these world championships.”
Team Johnson, based out of the Four Seasons and Fargo-Moorhead Curling Clubs, were also impressive. Facing a field of teams with no shortage of experience on the international stage, they earned a place in the medal round. Facing eventual champions Korea in the semi-finals, the Americans were edged 6-5—the Koreans would later win gold with a 14-7 victory over Sweden. In the bronze medal matchup, Johnson and her teammates lost to China. The fourth-place finish, however, was the highest for an American team since 2022.
Gemmell added, “Team Johnson was among the youngest teams in the field, and their fourth-place finish bodes well for the future.”
A complete look at the World Junior Curling Championships is available on the World Curling website.
About USA Curling
Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA Curling is the National Governing body for the Olympic sport of curling and the Paralympic sport of wheelchair curling in the United States. The mission of USA Curling is to grow, strengthen, and advocate for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of curling in the United States by prioritizing accessibility and programmatic development from grassroots to podium. USA Curling is sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, the Dale’s family of beers, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Ice, Sports & Solar (ISS), Rock Solid Productions, Jet Ice, and Laurie Artiss. USA Curling is a proud member of World Curling and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. To learn more, visit usacurling.org.
